When Plagiarism Pays – iThenticate Blog Post

Jonah Lehrer SpeechLast week, I wrote a tear down of Jonah Lehrer’s non-apology and non-explanation speech at an event hosted by the Knight Foundation, an organization that promotes innovation in journalism.

In that post, I promised that I would take a closer look at the $20,000 honorarium Lehrer was paid for the event and the ethics of paying a prominent plagiarist, like Lehrer, for speaking about his misdeeds.

The issue was so hot that a public outcry eventually forced the Knight Foundation to apologize for the payment.

Still, it’s a complex issue that I wanted to spend the proper time on. Fortunately, I got a chance to tackle more thoroughly on the iThenticate Blog.

In this post I try to address the following questions:

  • When, if ever, is it acceptable to pay a plagiarist for taking about their misdeeds?
  • How can a plagiarist, in particular a famous one, move on without exploiting their infamy to some degree?
  • What typically happens to the companies and organizations that are seen as rewarding plagiarists?

So, if you have a moment, check out the full post and feel free to leave a comment.

Disclosure: I am a paid consultant and author for iThenticate.

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